Most efficient wheel size?

[DZTR7]

Hey folks,
Quick question. Which wheel size gives the most miles/efficiency? Is it the 20”s? Which are the worst? Thx

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[Mathme]

in Rivian OEM tires, yes as the 20" have All Terrain Tires on them and are in a 275/65/20 size for about 34" tall. The 21 & 22" have road tires and for the Quads, are up to about 40 miles per 100% charge more efficient and come in about 33" tall.

That being said, there's lots of people on the board who have had the 21" stock tires and moved to the 20" route with a 275/60/20 for the same circumference of 33". This doesnt' require reprogramming the truck.

Some people have also gone from 275/65/20 to a 275/60/20 set of tires. This reduces the overall circumference from 34" to 33" and either means your speedo is off or you have Rivian reprogram the truck. There's a s00n-ish rumor that we will be able to set our tire sizes in an upcoming SW update to accommodate this.

Sorry for the long-winded answer, but there's a lot to consider when it come stop tires....and this is only minimum surface level stuff.

 

[DZTR7]

So you are saying that on average, the larger 21 tires have the best efficiency and 20 is the worst?

 

[Supratachophobia]

So you are saying that on average, the larger 21 tires have the best efficiency and 20 is the worst?

Your question is more complicated, given the numerous threads that will come up in a search.

**Generally**, a smaller circumstance is more efficient. However, type of tire has a lot to do with it. Some claim to have regained the lost range on the 20" size by switching to all-season tire instead of the factory all-terrain tire. And the gen1 22" all season was less efficient than the Gen1 21" all season. But the new Gen2 22" MS tire (no idea what that means) seems to be better than the previous 21"and 22" options.

Yet to be seen what a 20" all-season will do. The rough math from Rivian on the standard vehicles says ~390 vs 370 one the 20s and 410 on the 22s.

My personal experience with over a quarter million miles on a Model S says the 19" were at least 10-15% better than the 21". But I don't know if the diameter was different like on the Rivian. Certainly the tire compound was partly/mostly to blame. Oddly enough, the Michelin IceX snow tires were the most efficient, but they were also half an inch thinner.

 

[beyondgravity]

21s are the best, followed by 22s(~10% below) and 20s(~20%). These are all stock Rivian tires so far. Since Rivian has AS now, I don’t know whether it matches 22s or actually 21s in terms of efficiency.

 

[Supratachophobia]

21s are the best, followed by 22s(~10% below) and 20s(~20%). These are all stock Rivian tires so far. Since Rivian has AS now, I don’t know whether it matches 22s or actually 21s in terms of efficiency.

Comes in dead between the 20" AT and the 22" MS

 

[R1DEW/ME]

From the research I have done. Stock 21s best. Then 22s then 20s.

Put lighter highway tire on OEM 20” rim with smaller total diameter 33” vs 34” you can get comparable if not better efficiency then stock 21s.

Not black and white though. Many factors including drive mode, drive habits, tire design, tire weight, wheel weight, load, etc.

Layman’s terms: lighter and smaller = better efficiency as long as can handle load.

There are multiple threads of other owners who have created spreadsheets and documented their experience with different combinations. I have hear a lot of good things about Michelin defenders XLT fitted for 20s, nitto recon grappler fitted for 20s, still aggressive but significantly lighter then stock pirellis and smoother quieter ride. I am getting ready to give general grabber hts60’s a try myself to replace pirellis for a more comfortable and quiet yet efficient ride.

All you can do is see what you are okay with either trying for yourself or trusting others recommendations. What sold me on grabbers was the price difference compared to a lot of the others.

 

[CBRacerX]

Thanks for this thread. Have a 2024 R1T coming next week with the 20” wheels.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

If context is factory gen1 specs, 21” is the most efficient. 20” is worst, and that’s because of the largest diameter (34.1”) and AT treaded tire—weight & rolling resistance. Downside for 21” is very limited replacement tire options.

Gen 2, the 21” is discontinued. The most efficient wheel option is the $2k 22” Range package (the one with the aero disc).

Ability for user to reconfigure tire size is not a rumor, but something VP of software said. Timing unknown.

 

[Eric9610]

Also, If you run a 275/60/R20 on a 20" rim you get almost the exact same tire diameter as the factory 21's and if you go AS or road vs AT the efficiency is almost the same. 5% give or take. I would say that running 21's with no aero would be same as 20's with AS.

 

[Riviot]

This thread has got me like

 

[mkhuffman]

I have done significant research on this topic because of my small obsession with highway efficiency. There are three wheel factors that impact efficiency. I am listing them in the order of importance:

1. Rolling resistance (primarily due to tire material but also tire pressure and tread design),
2. Aerodynamics (rim design plays a huge role, as shown by Rivian's approach with their most efficient wheels), and lastly
3. Wheel weight (only impacts acceleration resistance and some of that loss can be regained with regeneration).

Personally I only care about highway range, where weight has almost no impact. Around town I can charge at home, so I don't care about the efficiency. On a trip I want as few stops as possible, so rolling resistance and aerodynamics are the only factors I consider.

Ideally the best setup would be a small rim with a large, low rolling resistance tire. As long as the small rim is aerodynamic, of course.

So a aerodynamic 20" rim with low rolling resistance AS tires would be best, IMO. It is so interesting Rivian decided to go bigger with the 22s and made them very aerodynamic. I think they could have done better doing the same thing with 20s, but they didn't try. I guess they decided the 22s look better. They probably do.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I have done significant research on this topic because of my small obsession with highway efficiency. There are three wheel factors that impact efficiency. I am listing them in the order of importance:

1. Rolling resistance (primarily due to tire material but also tire pressure and tread design),
2. Aerodynamics (rim design plays a huge role, as shown by Rivian's approach with their most efficient wheels), and lastly
3. Wheel weight (only impacts acceleration resistance and some of that loss can be regained with regeneration).

Personally I only care about highway range, where weight has almost no impact. Around town I can charge at home, so I don't care about the efficiency. On a trip I want as few stops as possible, so rolling resistance and aerodynamics are the only factors I consider.

Ideally the best setup would be a small rim with a large, low rolling resistance tire. As long as the small rim is aerodynamic, of course.

So a aerodynamic 20" rim with low rolling resistance AS tires would be best, IMO. It is so interesting Rivian decided to go bigger with the 22s and made them very aerodynamic. I think they could have done better doing the same thing with 20s, but they didn't try. I guess they decided the 22s look better. They probably do.

Aesthetics probably played a role. We know chief designer was inspired by Group B rally when designing the R3/R3X. The 22” Range reminds me of the turbo fan wheels from the same era (and LeMans). Tall sidewall probably wouldn’t have looked right.

 

[scr4tchy]

It is a genuine question because the 20" AT vs 22" Sport on Gen2 is a 60 mi / 70 mi (conserve) difference, or 20% difference on Gen2.

On Gen1, what was the observed benefits from putting regular tires on the 20", with the same diameter, and/or with the smaller diameter?

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

It is a genuine question because the 20" AT vs 22" Sport on Gen2 is a 60 mi / 70 mi (conserve) difference, or 20% difference.

On Gen1, what was the observed benefits from putting regular tires on the 20", with the same diameter, and/or with the smaller diameter?

There are lots of threads on those who did, with their efficiency numbers. Please use search and look those up. Too many factors involved. But downsizing to 275/60R20 (0.3% delta to 275/55R21) with all season tread—which Rivian has now done with gen 2–you can expect to regain some to all of the efficiency lost to the larger AT.

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